


Morning Dreams

by glymr



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Robin (Comics), Superboy (Comics), Superman (Comics), Superman/Batman (Comics)
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, M/M, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-21
Updated: 2010-06-21
Packaged: 2018-03-10 13:25:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3291914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glymr/pseuds/glymr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Superboy seemed surprised, but cupped and stroked Robin's face, his expression one of uncomplicated happiness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Morning Dreams

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mithen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mithen/gifts).



Batman carefully arranged the crystals in the proper configuration around Robin's chair as the clone... as _Superboy_ looked on warily. Finally the teenager gathered sufficient courage to ask, "So, it's like a simulator?"

"Sort of," said Superman, arranging the crystals around Superboy's chair in turn. "It will put you in a dream-like state. It will feel like a very vivid dream, that is, like reality, and you won't realize it's a simulation."

"But you'll be controlling it," said Robin.

"To a degree," admitted Superman. "Batman has input the parameters of the scenario. The outcome will depend on how you react."

Robin nodded and Superboy fidgeted nervously. Robin glanced at him, just a quick look, but it seemed to reassure him. He relaxed and said, "Okay, hit me."

There was a part of Batman, a small, jealous, petty part, that would have liked to take him at his word. Instead he nodded and waited for Superman to precede him out of the chamber. The door slid shut behind them, sealing it off.

Superman manipulated the crystals affixed to the outside, and a large screen appeared on one wall, showing the interior.

Superboy was fidgeting again. "This is freaking weird," he muttered.

Robin looked over at him again. It wasn't an expression Batman was very familiar with from Tim - it seemed part amusement and fondness, part surety. It was his 'leader' expression, the one he used with the Teen Titans. "It'll be fine, Conner," he said. Batman made a mental note to speak to him about using real names when in costume. Robin knew better than that.

Superman did something, and the lights in the chamber changed. Both boys blinked, their eyes sliding closed and their heads drooping. The chairs shifted to accommodate them.

A new scene faded into existence, overlaying the image of the chamber. An arctic landscape took over the screen, snow blowing across it. Three words appeared in the corner, which Batman recognized as Kryptonian for "Dream Simulation Active".

A figure stumbled into the frame, another following a moment later. Robin drew his cape tightly around his body and adjusted something in his ear. "No sign of it," he said, his voice coming through clearly on a separate channel.

"Can we *go*, then?" Superboy shifted, not quite touching the snow, and floated around until he was in front of Robin. Batman scowled.

Robin seemed focused on the device in his hand, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Batman's eyes narrowed, but it actually took him a moment to realize that Superboy had placed himself to provide Robin some protection from the wind. "Not yet," said Robin. He stilled, staring at the device. "Wait-" he started, but at that moment the snow behind them erupted with a roar.

Instantly Superboy swept Robin into his arms and away from the creature, even as Robin was hurling a batarang in its direction. The monster was the stuff of nightmares, a huge, hole-like mouth, greyish skin that blended in with the landscape, and several long arms which reached and grasped to pull them in.

Next to him, Superman gasped. "That's the thing we fought on-"

"Yes," said Batman, cutting him off. "Quiet." He wanted to hear them.

Robin was muttering, obviously trusting the built-in mics on his suit to pick up his words. "Target found," he said quickly. "Appears to be about 30 meters long." He went on with other details, even as he turned in Superboy's grasp, directing him without words, without signs - just shifts of his body so subtle that Batman might have missed them if he hadn't been watching carefully. "Believe I recognize it from the files-"

Superboy circled high above the thing. "Look out!" cried Robin suddenly, and Superboy barely dodged as a red laser shot from the creature's one red eye.

"Crap! How should we fight it, Rob?" Batman frowned a little again, noting Superboy's dependence on his teammate. They would have to try some solo simulations at some point.

"Its weakness is the back of his neck," said Robin, sure and sharp. "Drop me and hit it there, hard. You won't kill it, but you should be able to stun it enough to knock it out, at which point we can call for clean-up."

Superboy nodded and flew closer to the ground, dropping Robin at some sort of invisible signal. Robin rolled and sprang back to his feet almost as gracefully as Nightwing would have. Superboy swooped around and dodged two more blasts from the creature before punching the back of its neck.

Its head fell forward, and it slumped, but not before it let off a parting laser shot. Superboy cried out and moved so fast he was a blur of black and blue, knocking Robin into the snow and taking the shot, the laser searing through the back of his shirt and into his flesh. He screamed as it burned into him, going on for several seconds before it sputtered out, but he never moved, protecting Robin with his body.

When at last the laser died, Superboy groaned and slumped, then pulled himself up. "Are you all right?" he gasped.

Robin was on his feet again in seconds. "Yes," he said, filling his lungs with air. "Just got a faceful of snow. With Dick as an older brother, I'm used to it." He was shivering a little. "Let me see your back."

"I'm fine," said Superboy. He reached up and brushed away some of the snow still clinging to Robin's skin, then cupped his cheek with one big hand.

Robin sighed, his eyes closing a little, and leaned very slightly into the touch. "Your skin is always so warm," he said, one gloved hand lifting to rest on top of Superboy's.

"Yeah, I think it was actually kind of a turn-off for people in Hawaii," said Superboy, grinning down at him.

Robin gave a small laugh and took a step back, pulling away from Superboy's touch. "Turn around," he said in a clear, commanding tone. Superboy did so. The laser had burned away his skin, fusing and melting it.

"God, Conner," whispered Robin. He closed his eyes and swallowed. "We've got to get you to somewhere with sunlight-"

Superboy turned back around again. "I'll be all right," he said. With a frown he admitted, "It...it doesn't actually hurt that much."

Robin's eyes blinked open, a sudden awareness coming into them. He looked around at the landscape and Superboy, at the body of the creature, and down at himself. Looking back up again he said, "That's because it's not real."

"Huh?" said Superboy.

Robin's lips curled into a small smile. He reached for Superboy's hand and placed it on his cheek again. Superboy seemed surprised, but cupped and stroked Robin's face, his expression one of uncomplicated happiness.

"This is a dream," said Robin.

"Are you sure? It feels pretty real to me," said Superboy.

Robin shook his head, his cheek dragging against the skin of Superboy's hand. "Positive," he said. "I taught myself years ago to recognize when I was in a dream state, even before I became Robin. Watch," he said, and closed his eyes. The wind died down, and the sun broke through the heavy gray clouds.

Superboy grinned. "That's a neat trick," he said. His hand was still on Robin's face. "So...if this is a dream, I can do whatever I want?"

Robin met his eyes, bright and challenging. "Yes," he said.

Batman stood up. "Turn it off," he said sharply.

Superman jumped. "What?" he said, tearing his eyes away from the screen for a moment.

"Turn it off," said Batman, reaching for the controls, but he was too late. He heard Superman gasp sharply and looked back up at the screen in spite of himself. His hands froze on the control crystals.

Superboy and Robin were kissing. Superboy's hand still cupped Robin's face, and his other snaked down to wrap around Robin's back, pulling him closer. Robin's hands were on his shoulders, and as they watched, slid up and around his neck. Robin murmured soft words between kisses. "Love you...Conner...I wish...wish it were real..."

"Me too," whispered Superboy. "Tim."

"Rao," said Superman hoarsely. "He...they-"

Batman forced his eyes back to the controls and adjusted the crystals. The screen went black, then flickered and showed the chamber again, both boys still apparently asleep, their faces flushed. Batman pushed down another crystal, changing the frequency and plunging both boys out of REM and into a deeper sleep state.

"Why did you do that?" asked Superman.

Batman stared up at him in disbelief. "I know you have x-ray vision," he said, finding his voice at last, "But I didn't think you were *that* much of a voyeur."

Superman flushed. "I'm *not*," he said. "It's just...they were-"

Batman shook his head once in sharp negation. "It wasn't real. It wouldn't have been...fair." His eyes snapped up to Superman's. "We can't let them know we saw that. We have to let them think it occurred after the simulation was terminated."

Slowly, Superman nodded. "All right. I can understand that." He paused and drew a hand through his hair. "Bruce, how much of that was..."

"How much of it was real, and how much random dream logic?" Batman shook his head. "All of it was real. They believed themselves to be in a dream, yes, but the...fantasy...already existed. For both of them. Or it would not have played out that way."

"How do you know?" asked Superman.

Batman sighed and began to pace, glancing at the screen every so often. The boys slept on. "Their reactions were too-" he waved a hand with a sharp gesture. "For example, if I suddenly kissed you out of the blue, how would _you_ react?"

Superman didn't reply immediately. Batman turned to him and surprised an odd expression on his face. "How do *you* think I would react, Bruce?"

Batman frowned. "Shock. Disgust. Anger-"

"Perhaps," Superman cleared his throat. "Perhaps you should test that theory."

Every muscle in Batman's body seemed to freeze. For long seconds he stared across the room, meeting Superman's mild gaze. Then he forced himself to break the paralysis, stalking up to the other man and lifting one gloved hand to his cheek. Unbidden, the image returned to him, Superboy cupping Robin's cheek, stroking it. His jaw tightened. He pulled his hand away, balling it into a fist. "This is hardly a controlled circumstance," he growled.

Superman caught him before he could move back, his eyes challenging. "It's a valid test," he said. His voice dropped. "Do it."

Batman's breath caught in his throat. His mind seemed trapped, drowning in heat and sweetness, like warm honey. Then their lips actually touched, and a shock raced through his body. Of their own accord, his hands lifted to grasp Superman's shoulders and draw him closer, all strength and rawness and it was so _much_ , overwhelming him, drowning him.

 _This is what Tim felt_ , he realized, and the thought made him push away, breaking the kiss and the moment.

Superman reached for him, but Batman slipped away, his cape brushing past Superman's fingers. "Bruce, _wait_ -"

"I'll...I need to take care of some things."

"What about the boys?"

"They'll wake up on their own in a little while. I'll come back and check on them later."

"Bruce..."

"Later." He swept out the door, stretching his hearing in spite of himself, listening to see if he was being followed. After a moment he heard the other door to the room sliding open, meaning Superman wasn't going to follow him. He briefly allowed his shoulders to sag with relief before continuing on his way.

* * *

The chamber was empty when they returned. Batman went to the controls and set them to replay the last hour, skipping through five minute intervals until the boys began to wake.

As they watched, Robin stirred, his eyes suddenly snapping open. He took several breaths, frowned, and looked over at Superboy. "Conner," he said, "Wake up."

Superboy didn't move for a moment, then he snorted and yawned, blinking groggily. "Wha-?"

"We're in the simulation chamber," said Robin. "Do you remember-" he began, then stopped, an odd look crossing his face. He cleared his throat and said in an even flatter tone, "Do you remember the exercise?"

Rubbing his eyes, Superboy yawned again and said, "I think so...there was a monster, right? And-" He looked over at Robin, frowning. "Something else? You were...I was-"

"I told you how to defeat it," said Robin quickly. "You defended me from its attack, which I'm sure was the point of the exercise," he added.

"But-"

"You defended me," said Robin clearly, "and that's where the simulation ended." He spoke with a hard certainty, inarguable, but Superboy argued anyway.

"But there was more, wasn't there?" He stood up and crossed the small chamber to where Robin stood, his cape closed around him like a shield and his expression indecipherable. "There was something - " Slowly, he put a hand on Robin's shoulder. Robin tensed beneath his touch, but did not push away. "Something _else_..."

Now Robin did move, sliding neatly out from under his hand. "We should go," he said, but Superboy caught his arm before he could activate the door. Gently but inexorably, he turned Robin to face him again. Robin looked up into his eyes, inscrutable. "We should go," he said again.

"Yeah," said Superboy dreamily. "In just a sec." Slowly, he lifted his hand, brushed Robin's cheek. Robin went completely still under the touch.

"What are you doing, Conner?" he said, and his voice was a careful mixture of amusement and exasperation. "Stop that," he added, a command.

"Yeah," said Superboy again. "Just a second." He cupped Robin's face and brought his own nearer. Nearer.

"Conner," said Robin sharply when his face was a few centimeters away. "This _isn't_ a dream."

Superboy paused for perhaps half a second before completing the motion.

Batman realized he was holding his breath. On the screen, Robin's eyes closed, his gloved hands coming up to grasp Superboy's arms. After a long, almost chaste kiss, Superboy pulled away.

Robin, keeping his eyes closed, turned his head aside. "Conner, I...we can't do this."

"Why not?" asked Superboy.

"Well, to start with, I would rather not give Wonder Girl a reason to eviscerate me," said Robin, a note of sarcasm entering his tone.

Superboy looked confused. "It's not really any of her business anymore, is it?" Robin frowned and looked up at him again, blinking. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything Superboy went on, "I mean, since she broke up with me-"

"*What*?"

Staring down at him, Superboy looked more confused than ever. "Didn't you *know*? I mean, you know *everything*-"

Slowly, Robin shook his head. "I..." He closed his mouth with a snap and glanced around the room, a quick, automatic sweep that Batman recognized as a search for cameras. "We need to talk," he said finally. "Let's...let's get out of here."

Superboy shrugged. "Okay by me. But, the guys-"

"We played their game. They know how to reach us if they need us again." Superboy nodded and followed him to the door. Before activating the controls, however, Robin paused, not looking at Superboy. "Conner, this isn't...is this a rebound thing? Because I..."

"Dude." Superboy managed to pack a wealth of meaning and reproach into the word, bringing Robin up short. "If Cassie breaking up with me means I can *finally* do this-" and he took Robin's shoulder and turned him until they were face to face, then leaned forward, kissing Robin again until Robin shivered and whimpered against him. When Superboy broke away at last, they were both breathless. Superboy leaned his forehead against Robin's and smiled. "Then it was *totally* worth it," he whispered.

Robin's hands tightened on Superboy's shoulders, then dropped to his sides as he took a step back. "Let's go," he said. He activated the door, glanced around, and slipped out. Superboy looked around the chamber once more and followed.

* * *

"Well," said Superman. Batman glanced at him, feeling his lips twist into something sour.

"Well?" he replied, and it came out more harshly than he intended. Superman didn't seem to notice, though. He just shook his head, blinking.

"You were right. It was _all_ real. I had no idea," he said slowly. Looking up at last, he asked, "Did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Did you have any idea that they...felt that way? Before you set up this simulation, I mean?"

Batman frowned down at the controls. "I...suspected," he said, his voice low and emotionless.

"You never said anything."

Shrugging, Batman said, "I might have been wrong."

Superman shook his head again. "Robin. And Superboy." Suddenly he stood and reached out. Batman should have been able to dodge him. He _should_ have. But somehow Superman's hands were on his shoulders, and he was pulling him in, and it was that same feeling again, disorienting, warm, thick and sweet and much too much. Too good to be true.

When he managed to pull away, Batman looked down, resting his head on Superman's shoulder. He could see the "S" shield between them, his own symbol touching it, pressing against it - he shuddered. "Superman-" he began.

"I'll talk to Lois," said Superman, a promise in his voice.

Batman scowled. "And tell her _what_ exactly? 'I kissed Batman and I'd like to...'" he trailed off.

"'Make love to him'?" Superman finished for him softly.

Batman jerked in his hold. "That's not the words I would have chosen," he said drily.

"But it's the truth," said Superman, his voice quiet and sincere.

"I-" Batman swallowed. "Lois isn't going to want-"

"You may be surprised," said Superman, a sudden warm humor in his tone. It made something in Batman's chest loosen, made him look up into Superman's eyes, a sudden _hope_ flowing through him.

"If you say so," he said, but his voice wasn't cooperating, wasn't dry anymore.

Superman just smiled.


End file.
